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Hey guys got a question on 2009 Mazda 6 GT, loaded. Sticker price MSRP 31000, with 5,500 miles being offered at $24,750. What do you guys think? Wondering how good of a deal it is? It was a mazda demo vehicle. Thanks Jerry

I don't know how this works in other states but sales tax is not required in Georgia for "casual sales." This is defined as a person to person transaction as opposed to purchasing from a dealer. I confirmed this with the DMV prior to purchasing the vehicle as this allowed me to spend more on the vehicle going through a private seller than going to dealer and having to factor in the sale tax.

Georgia does not tax private party auto sales. Any person selling more than five vehicles in a calendar year is considered a "dealer" and must collect sales tax on all vehicles sold.

Georgia DOES tax all new car sales, regardless of where it is purchased. For instance, I bought my '06 Mazda3 new at a dealership located in Knoxville, TN. Prior to registering the vehicle at my county tag office, I had to pay sales tax to the Georgia DOR.

An i Grand Touring with Moonroof and Bose for 20k is not doable IMO. I paid about 23,700. Go to carsdirect.com and price it out in your area. You may have some wiggle room on their price depending on the dealer.

I bought an iTouring w/ convenience package 3 weeks ago for $23,360 OTD (including a new plate). I asked a dealer closer to me (the one I bought it from is almost an hour away) if they could just match the price, and they wouldn't budge from their price of about $300 more. I think you would have a hard time finding it for $20,000, unless you also had a loyalty rebate.

I am thinking of a Mazda6 (2009) in an automatic, but the base version (i), now that I have a four month old with my wife (our first).

I have had my RX-8 since it was new in October of 2005 and have had no problems and great dealership service, but it's not practical, even with the quad doors, because it's a manual, and space is tight given everything that I have to pack in my car when I have 'baby duty.'

I love Mazda because their cars have so much more personality and sporty flavor than camcords.

The new 6 is much more spacious, and I think the interior looks fantastic compared to the last gen. The fuel economy is pretty good on the 4 banger, especially given the weight of the vehicle, and the fender flares kind of grow on you, especially if you are coming from a car like the RX-8.

I was wondering if anyone has seen pricing near the 16k mark for the base i automatic, not including TTL?

I don't really need leather, nav, auto climate control, and the base i is actually pretty well loaded. I'm not prepared to pay up for a lot of extras given the state of the economy and given that the 6 has never had quite the resale value of the Camry or Accord.

I don't know what state you are in but there is a Georgia dealership that had a base model i (manual transmission though) for $15,988. I just checked the website and its no longer posted but I'd call and mention the "door buster" that was previously online. It was black with a manual transmission and no upgrades but the price was right. I considered buying that vehicle myself before finding a private seller.

Like I said, I don't know where you are located or if you are willing to travel but the dealership is Rick Case Mazda in Duluth, Georgia and it was an internet special back when I was looking at vehicles last month. Larry Russell is the contact person for internet sales. You should be able to find the necessary contact info online.

You mentioned concerns about Mazda leather. This is my first experience with Mazda. I'd love to hear more about the problems people have had with it. Please elaborate.

Yes, I'm willing to travel, especially if I can work a purchase into a vacation or business trip.

I've seen some dealers in Maryland and Texas with the base i automatic for an eyelash over 16k, and like I said, Mazda packed even the base 6 with so many features standard, the base car really is a value proposition in its class.

I happened to notice that Toyota is aggressively discounting the Camry lately, and I'll bet Honda will follow suit soon if they haven't already with the Accord.

A competitive sector seemed to get a lot more competitive with the arrival of the new Mazda 6, the Altima, the Sonata and the Chevy Malibu an Ford Fusion.

I think the Fusion and the Mazda6 are by far the sportiest of the bunch.

on't hold your breath. Since the MS6 sales were abysmal with the last-gen, I doubt you'll see another MS6 on these shores again, especially with the current economy.

Sad but true. I think the "Speed6" is actually now the "Fusion Sport." The Fusion sport has a 3.5 vs the slightly smaller V6 in the Mazda and regular Fusion. I think it also has goofy paddle shifters and a slushbox.

From an earlier comment...why does transmission type play into available space? The Mazda6 is one of a handful of mid-size sedans available with a manual.

Don't think that was meant. Believe the poster was just listing the different (unrelated) reasons for a trade to more "family friendly" vehicle. You can still row with a family but it does free up a hand for other duties. Also, isn't the V-6 in the 09 Mazda6 3.7L vs. the 3.5L in the Fusion Sport?

m6user, you are correct in your response to lilengineerboy about the transmission issue.

lilengineerboy - the manual isn't as family friendly to me, because when we have the little one with us, I'm more likely to be multi-tasking, which is not a good idea but nearly impossible to avoid when you have a baby in the car, and driving a manual makes this even more risky.

I'm as safe a driver as humanly possible, but anyone with a baby knows that when you're driving with the baby in the car, a manual transmission makes any headache that occurs 10x worse.

I'm just learning how to pack and organize everything for even a short trip with a four month old. It's amazing how much gear they need. Good thing my wife is organized. LOL.

I can just say from experience it doesn't matter if you have a stick-shift or not. Babies and toddlers are in the back seat, either in their carrier or car seat, and you're in the front seat. My wife and I both have stick-shift vehicles, and we have a 2 yr old and a 7 month old. Having automatics wouldn't make driving any easier or harder. There's not a whole lot you can do from the driver's seat. If there's an issue we pull over and handle it, or just ignore the noise until we can stop safely.

I used to multi-task by eating while driving on long trips, when we had young children. But this was generally only after getting back on the freeway and up to cruising speed, so even when we had a manual it was no big deal as I would just be cruising in 5th.

However, unlike 20 years ago, these days manuals offer little or no practical advantages.

I can just say from experience it doesn't matter if you have a stick-shift or not. Babies and toddlers are in the back seat, either in their carrier or car seat, and you're in the front seat. My wife and I both have stick-shift vehicles, and we have a 2 yr old and a 7 month old.

We are in a similar situation, we have a 2 yr old and 2 manual trans vehicles. If someone told me I had to give up a stick to have a kid, I would've thought more carefully about it :P I second the comments that the kid is strapped in, facing the wrong way, in the back seat. There isn't a lot you are going to be able to do from the front seat anyway.

Our child seats are rated for 25 or 30 lbs rear facing, which were told is safer, so it will still be some time before he flips around. He seems to enjoy the manual transmission as well, making "vroom" and "whee" sounds.

If you like a manual, I would get a manual again. You aren't suddenly more or less responsible based on your transmission choice, and after about 2 years of driving a manual in north America, it becomes "automatic" enough to the driver that it doesn't count as multi-tasking. If you don't like a manual and are tired of it, then by all means get the slushbox, but you don't have to do it "for the kid."

I have been reading many of posts regarding how to value a car.I am looking at the Nissan Maxima SV with the premium and technology packages. MSRP on the V6s I like are $39575.00. I can't purchase until the end of May but will then have 45 days or so to make a deal. I am replacing my company vehicle. Company will only pay 26862,00. They pay through a corporate leasing company by cashiers check at delivery. Leasing company handles TTL.

IYHO, can I get there?

Also, how do you calculate the invoice price of options? KBB states the following on 09 Maxima SV:MSRP**Definitions $33,580.00 Invoice* $30,817.00 New Car Blue Book Value*What consumers are really paying for this vehicle $32,237.00

I did receive an internet quote for 33399 for one with an MSRP of 39575.

I think you can go lower assuming that's just the price of the car before tax/title/fees. I got quoted a price of $19,761 for an iTouring AT right off the bat from one dealer. I ended up buying from him, but got one with the convenience package instead (which was well worth the extra money!).

Don't know if you are anywhere near Florida but I saw one on craigslist for $13,500. Check the Fort Myers SW Florida Craigslist. It has under 6k miles. This is a good price. A local dealership here in Atlanta had one advertised around $16k but that one has sold and I don't know if they will offer that "doorbuster" again as the car sat on the lot for months. While it was a good price, there isn't much demand for base model vehicles. The craigslist post states that the car is fully loaded but based on the pictures it looks like it may be a base model with a few upgrades.

Good luck with the purchase. I bought my Mazda6 on Craigslist and traveled out of state to pick it up so I can offer some suggestions if needed.

I am seeing a $1000 rebate plus another stacked $1,500 rebate if you're a current Mazda owner for the 2009 Mazda6.

This could be good for me because I think 15k or maybe even less is now possible on a manual i if this $2,500 in rebates is true.

I have not yet test driven the 09, so I need to check out the NVH levels and the firmness of the ride quality that I've heard some reviewers complain about as we have bad roads here, and I don't want a real firm ride for that reason.